How to Dress to Impress When You Go on a Date

A first date means you’ll want to be making a fantastic impression on you potential life partner. Appropriate dress can make you feel comfortable and confidant to ensure second date. Here are three tips for your future first dates:

Dress for the occasion
Base the formality of your attire on where you’ll be going. For an upscale dinner, wear dark slacks with a long-sleeved, button-down shirt; during colder weather, add a well-made sweater on top. If you’re going to a casual movie, wear a nice pair of jeans and a slightly dressier shirt than you usually would. Your first date probably won’t require you to wear a tuxedo or a suit, but don’t show up in the same outfit you’d wear around the house on a weekend morning. Remember: you want your outfit to hit about the same level of formality as what your date will be wearing. If you’re unsure, ask your date what the dress code is or what they’ll be wearing.

Flatter your best features
Knowing you’re dressed in a way that puts your best look forward will help you feel confident on your date.

Pay attention to fit
Too tight looks odd, and too baggy looks sloppy and like you don’t care about the date. Aim for a happy medium that’s just right for your body type. Make sure your pants fit well around the waist – you should be able to put three fingers comfortably in the waistband, but not much more – and that the hems hit around the bottom of your ankles. Shirts should cover your waist without falling past your butt. If your clothing fits poorly, consider finding a local tailor or seamstress. Most will do basic alterations for a fairly low fee.

Find colors that work for you
When you’re picking out a shirt, choose a shade that flatters your natural coloring. To highlight blue or green eyes, try a cool, dark color such as slate grey or navy blue. To highlight brown or hazel eyes, try a warm, light color such as maroon or off-white. If you’re worried about how your skin looks, use the color of your shirt to downplay it by avoiding bight reds or whites – these colors will draw more attention to red spots.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Since most of us don’t spend hours in front of a mirror every day, it can be hard to know what looks good on yourself. Ask a friend whose taste you admire to help you select a good look – he or she might have already noticed you look better in certain articles of clothing. If you’re going shopping, ask a friendly salesperson for assistance. Most of them love helping people choose flattering clothing, and they have plenty of practice.

Brush and floss
Base the formality of your attire on where you’ll be going. For an upscale dinner, wear dark slacks with a long-sleeved, button-down shirt; during colder weather, add a well-made sweater on top. If you’re going to a casual movie, wear a nice pair of jeans and a slightly dressier shirt than you usually would. Your first date probably won’t require you to wear a tuxedo or a suit, but don’t show up in the same outfit you’d wear around the house on a weekend morning. Remember: you want your outfit to hit about the same level of formality as what your date will be wearing. If you’re unsure, ask your date what the dress code is or what they’ll be wearing.

Trim your nails
Cut them almost down to the quick (where the white part stops). If your knuckles look rough, rub some lotion over them

Style your hair. Apply some sort of product
gel, mousse, hair clay, serum, pomade – to make it look shiny and soft. Go easy, though – too much will make it look greasy. A dime-sized amount should be more than enough. If you get a haircut before your date, schedule it for three or four days before the event so that you don’t have little hairs in your ears or on your neck

Put on cologne or body spray
It’s better to put on too little than too much. For cologne, 2 pumps should be sufficient; for body spray, no more than 3. You want to smell nice, but not overwhelming. Keep in mind that your nose will 3

Finish up your outfit
If you’re going in the evening or during cold weather, take a jacket – even if you might not need it, you can always share it with your date as a kind gesture. Grab your wallet, lip balm, mints and anything else you might need to have.